


Good Intentions

by aurora0914



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Arya Stark - Freeform, Joffrey Baratheon - Freeform, Minor Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Ramsey Bolton - Freeform, Robb Stark - Freeform, Sansa Stark - Freeform, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:20:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9040739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurora0914/pseuds/aurora0914
Summary: "Most of the evil in this world is done by people with good intentions." -T.S. ElliotThat's all very swell and all - but how should one define "good"? How does one know what is good and what is evil? Sansa swore she used to know, but somehow, just somehow - she doesn't. Not anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Present**

Staring despondently at the ceiling, Sansa strived to remember a different time, a time when things were different. Just how exactly had she managed to fuck up so badly? Just a year ago, just a couple of months ago, she was sure that she would've been in despair over thinking of the word "fuck". And now here she was, coming down from a high, and he was nowhere in sight. What does one do in such a situation? 

She remembered being a do-gooder. She remembered a time when she used to look down her nose at people like the current her, when she used to say "this is wrong" and "this is bad". She remembered... Well, she remembered many things, that honestly, she wished she wouldn't think about. But still, it's amazing to see how things change. 

... But then again, looking at the empty bar: some things never change.

_Chapter I_

_One Happy Family_

**September 5 Years Ago**

"You know, you're lucky. To have such a family," muttered Theon despondently, fingering the neck of his bottle of beer. They were fifteen, and they had just discovered alcohol - and also just discovered where and how to hide it. Namely, Theon's house - as his father was either being a recluse up in his room and never checking on them, or he was out working. 

"Am I?" Robb asked, thoughtfully sipping his own bottle of beer. To be honest, he didn't like the bitter taste - but no way could he ever tell that to Theon. He'd make fun of him and offer him some 'girly' drinks - like champagne or something.

"Yes," Theon nodded, leaning back on the bed. "Your parents love each other, you're the oldest sibling so you have more freedom... and your parents actually  _care_ about you. And so do your siblings, I guess."

Robb nodded his head, conceding. "I suppose when you put it like that... I suppose I am quite lucky."

Theon shook off the melancholy, and grinned rather lewdly. "Guess who got lucky last night?"

Robb rolled his eyes. Trust Theon to change the subject once it got 5 centimetres deeper than the surface. "Oh, I don't know," he drawled, propping his head on his hand. "You, I'm guessing?"

"You know Ross?"

"What?!" Robb's eyes widened, his mouth opened unconsciously. Ross was a knockout - she was the hottest girl in the year above. No way Theon couldn't have possibly?! Damn.

He wouldn't admit to being just a tad jealous.

Theon fist pumped, and they high-fived. 

"So soon into the year? You lucky bastard."

**December 25th, 5 Years Ago**

"Merry Christmas everyone," said Catelyn Stark, crossing the living room to sit down next to the tree. The Starks were spending the day in - Christmas was the family holiday, and New Year's was the one where everyone went out to party. Robb had always loved Christmas - not only was the holiday spirit cheering, but he loved the warm dinner, and the scent of cookies before Christmas and actually eating the cookies on Christmas day; he loved playing family games, particularly Scrabble; he loved giving and receiving gifts. 

Their living room, where the tree was, was painted a tepid blue; the carpet was thick, plushy, and grey - and even though the couches were rather ugly looking - made from dark leather - he'd never sat on any that were more comfortable. The tree was in the left corner of the room, to the left of the television - they were all sat around the tree, and the TV was on, playing Christmas tunes in the background. Everyone was waiting for Catelyn so they could start opening the presents.

Robb loved it. Every single little bit of it.

"Okay kids," Ned started, his deep voice echoing over the music. "I know this is what we've all been waiting for. May the unwrapping begin!"

Robb eagerly teared through the Christmas tree decorated wrapping paper, coming upon the box, and marvelled at his presents: trainers from his parents, as well as a tracksuit that he couldn't wait to try on; a cute picture from Rickon (it was an adorable portrait of the family, with him being the biggest on the page); some chocolates from Bran; a wristband from Arya; and a cologne from Sansa. 

He turned to Sansa, who was just in the midst of unwrapping her present from him. He watched as she opened the small box - he had gotten her a locket necklace, which he had stumbled upon luckily on a market sale; knowing just how girly Sansa was, he immediately decided to get it for her. On the other hand, he had gotten Arya an album from her favourite metallic band (personally, Robb disliked heavy metal - it grated on his ears. He was rather a fan of rock, and REAL music). 

"So, Sansa, what are you trying to say? Do I smell?" he teased, shaking the box with the cologne in front of her face. 

"I'm glad you got the hint," Sansa teased right back, smirking. Robb mockingly put a hand on his heart, grimacing dramatically. 

"Yes, well, I only got you that necklace so people had something other than your face to look at," he returned, smirking right back playfully. 

"Oh, says you," she retorted, sticking out her tongue at him. "Does the mirror crack when you look at it in the morning?"

"Ouch," he said, laughing. "That was good though."

She smiled, and her crystal blue eyes twinkled. "Thanks, you too!" she turned to Bran. "Hey Bran, did you like Call of Duty or not?"

Robb heard Bran's burst of enthusiasm, and turned to start a conversation with Arya. She was a feisty little thing, and it was difficult to find her a present, because she was so stubbornly tomboyish. Thankfully, she seemed to like the present he gave her. 

"If we're all done with the presents, we need to get going to Aunt Lysa - we promised to visit them this Christmas!" Catelyn announced, and they all groaned inwardly. They didn't visit Aunt Lysa every year, but when they did, it was... different, to say the least. 

But even that didn't wipe the smile off of Robb's face.

  **Present**

Robb tossed and turned in his bed, a feeling of restlessness overcoming him. Angrily, he shook the covers off his bed, and got up to retrieve a cup of milk from the kitchen, that would hopefully help him sleep. One would think that as a university student, one would be exhausted enough by the end of the day to easily fall asleep: wrong. Robb felt more awake and more tired than ever, and as a result, more irritable.

This restless feeling has been haunting him for the last couple of months, and Robb couldn't find the reason for it. He couldn't chalk it up to stress; his first year here was a lot more stressful than now. Whatever - hopefully it would go away.

He wondered waywardly where Sansa was; she actually went to University in the same city as him, except, for some reason, he hadn't seen her for months. In fact, he'd gone to visit his parents back home more recently than he had to see his sister who lived about a half hour walk away. He didn't know whether that was normal or not - they  _were_ only siblings and they  _have_ gone their separate ways... but surely this wasn't normal...?

He turned on the stove, before warming some milk on it. He lived in a one room shitty apartment on the outskirts of the city - but as a poor student, it was all he could afford. At least he didn't have to room with weirdos and had his own space, it was more than he could say for some people. Sansa had two roommates; and he couldn't know for sure whether they were nice or not... Whatever. Sansa was her own person. He should stop being such a worrywart of a brother; she could take care of herself. 

With that resolution in mind, he finished putting honey into his warm milk, and turned off the stove, taking the mug to his room. 

Thankfully, it helped him sleep.

**January, 4 Years Ago**

Sansa loved her family. Yes, they could be a bit annoying, and a bit nosy, and a bit too loud - but they were her family and they all (except for Arya) meant well. And she thought the dynamic worked rather well - her mother was stern but just; her father all bark and no bite; Robb was responsible yet relaxed; Arya was an annoying little- you know; Bran was reclusive but sweet, and one day, Sansa was sure, he would grow out of his video games; and Rickon was cuter than cute. 

She was happy. And looking forward to the new year; she was sure that more good things would happen. She would turn fifteen this year; and as a fifteen year old, she'd be just that bit closer to leaving home and starting her own family.

It'd always been a dream to have her own family and to be a mother. She'd always been girly like that - much to Arya's distaste. But, her mother was so happy (Sansa could tell) and Sansa thought that she could be very happy having her own family, too. Being the master of her own house. Stuff like that.

School was fun, too - she had good friends, and she good decent grades. Maybe she wasn't the top of the class, but she was certainly above average; and that was enough to guarantee a spot at a decent University. And she was happy with that, too. 

She couldn't wait to be older.


	2. Chapter 2

  _Chapter II_

_Unwarranted Reunion_

**Present**

Sansa awoke to rough hands shaking her. "Get up girl!" someone hissed into her ear, almost angrily. "This isn't a hotel, you know!" 

Groggily she opened her eyes and looked around, recognising that she was bar, and recognising that her head was pounding. She used her hands to prop herself up and off of the bar stool, and almost absent-mindedly made her way out of the bar, somewhat conscious at the fact that the barman was staring bullets through her. Well, it wasn't like there was anyone else to stare at, she thought to herself miserably, she was the last person in the bar. 

Again.

She shivered. It was a cold night tonight, or rather a cold morning - the sun would be coming up in a couple of hours. And she should be getting home at least to change her clothes before dragging herself to class - if she didn't collapse in bed first. But first - where was she?

Looking around the cold and empty street, she withheld a groan. This wasn't the bar that her group first came in; they must've moved sometime during the night, but the memories were blurry. She had no idea how she got here. Hopefully they hadn't left the city, but she doubted it. 

She rubbed her arms, and opened her wallet, weighing her options. With £10 on her, she couldn't call a cab - especially when she didn't know how far home was - and she had no idea when the next bus was coming in, what it was, and where she could catch it. Besides, it was pretty late at night. What to do...

Sansa supposed it was her own fault, and these were the consequences to her rather reckless actions. But there was no time to reflect on how stupid her actions were (which she already knew anyway), not unless this problem magically fixed itself in the next five minutes, and she was in her shitty shared apartment, in her shitty bed, pronto.

Fuck. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to check her phone.

Pulling out her iPhone, she went on the Google Maps application, trying to find where she was on the map. That had to be useful for something, hadn't it? From there, she could figure out how to start walking home... It wasn't too bad, she could still get home before sunrise, and the most dangerous guys were already at the bar, anyway...

And as if the night couldn't get any worse, the low-battery message popped up on her phone, showing her that she only had 5% battery left. 

Staring hopelessly at the map, Sansa felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown. But wait - the name of the street next to her looked familiar. Why would that be?

Wait!

It couldn't be!

This was three minutes away from Robb's place! Granted she'd only been there a couple of times, but that was enough to recognise that shitty store - "Bob's Beans and More" - he had on the corner of his street which was called "St. Paul". She was there! It was only up ahead and a right turn! And at this late hour, he was sure to be home! She could probably borrow his charger, maybe sleep a little on the couch, and be on her merry way a couple of hours later. This was perfect!

... Except that would mean that she would actually have to go and see and talk to Robb. Which she wasn't sure was something she wanted to do. At all. In fact, she'd been adamantly avoiding that scenario for the past couple of months. And - who was to say that he would actually take her in, what with the state she was in (even if it was only for a couple of hours)?

No. It was too big of a risk. There had to be another way. Any other way.

 **March, 10 Years Ago**  

"Hey, Mum! Mum, Robb called me fat!" a young Sansa said, crying hysterically while gripping Catelyn's skirt. Catelyn frowned, looking around to spot the unscrupulous culprit. Robb was shielding himself from the scene, barely looking in from the hallway. 

"Robert Stark!" she shouted, hugging Sansa. "Come here!"

Robb trudged over to his mother slowly, his eyes on the floor. 

"Why did you call your sister fat?" Catelyn scolded, her eyebrows pushed together. "That's not a very nice thing to say to a girl."

Robb was about to say that she called him stupid first, that she wouldn't leave him alone to do his homework, but Catelyn interrupted him before he could even begin to defend himself. "Robb I know you're at that age where your siblings can start being a little irritating. I know.

But you're the eldest, Robb; you need to look out and care for your siblings. They're your family.  _We're_ your family. Sansa is your sister. Do you understand?"

Robb nodded, earnestly looking into his mother's eyes.

**Present**

The doorbell rang loudly, the chime startling Robb from his hard-fought sleep. He blearily opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on and what time it was. A quick glance at the window confirmed that it was still dark, and therefore, it was still the middle of the goddamn night.

He was going to kill whoever was at the door.

Dragging himself out of bed, he haphazardly put on his shirt and went up to the door. However, as he was heading out of his room, he managed to stub his toe on the doorframe like the half-asleep zombie he was. He swore to God that he was going to give it to Theon or to Podrick or to whoever the hell it was on the other side of that door. Who did they think they were, strolling into his apartment this late at night?!

The doorbell rang again and groaning, he finally managed to make his way over to the door, muttering a sour "coming" under his breath. With that, he managed to unlock the door and swing and open and just as he was about to start yelling (rather angrily), he saw the face of the person who was standing behind his door.

He stared at her in disbelief for a second, and rubbed his eyes to make sure that this wasn't a dream. After settling his gaze on her once more and affirming that this wasn't, in fact, a weird dream he hesitantly opened the door wider and stepped to the side to let her in. His head was drowning in questions, but he somehow managed to keep his mouth shut long enough for her to start speaking.

"I'm really really really sorry," Sansa began, playing with the straps of her jacket while nervously looking down. "I promise that I wouldn't have done this if I had another choice," she glanced at him from underneath her lashed and quickly returned her gaze to the floor.

When it became evident that she wasn't going to explain herself further without prompting, Robb decided to take the lead. "I don't quite understand what you mean," he responded, closing the door behind her and locking it. He gestured for her to have a seat on his couch while he walked across the room to the kitchen space to make tea. "Keep talking," he demanded from over his shoulder, as he turned on the kettle and then moved so he was facing her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Sansa replied stubbornly, as she took off her coat and boots and had a seat on the couch.

"Well, you can start at the beginning. Why were you out at such a late hour?" he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't angry anymore; all of the anger melted when he saw Sansa at his door. Instead, he felt overwhelming concern - because, after all, what could a girl possibly be doing out at 3 in the morning? What could anyone?

"Well, me and my friends hit the bar," Sansa began hesitantly, now playing with the edge of her sleeve. "And then, well, I wasn't paying attention, and well we ended up moving bars and I lost track of them and my phone was almost dead and I almost-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Your friends _left_ you?"

"Not intentionally! We just lost track of each other, that's all."

"And they didn't call?" he threw back, his eyebrow raised.

She flinched.

"My phone was dead," she whimpered, hugging herself. Robb opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sansa as she suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry! I've made a mistake. I'll go home now. I'm really sorry to have bothered you at such an hour."

She made a move to go and pick up her coat, but Robb quickly strode over to her, and stopped her hand from reaching it. "That's not what I meant, Sansa," he said softly, leading her back to the couch. "I'm just worried. I want to understand what happened. What is happening. I haven't seen you in months and you show up on my doorstep in the dead of night looking like a mess."

She flinched.

Robb saw this, and inwardly frowning (how could she possibly be scared of him? Him, her big brother?) he moved in to hug her. At first, she was frozen in his arms, but after a few moments she began to hug him back. He stroked her hair, and felt her start shaking below him. She was crying.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay, Sansa. You don't have to tell me everything now. You can tell me about it in the morning. In fact, I was thinking that we both don't go to class tomorrow, and just catch up. I can help you with whatever it is that's bothering you," her grip on him tightened, and he gave her one last squeeze, before letting go in order to go tend to the kettle that had just started to boil.

"We'll have tea and then rest. You can have my room, I'll sleep on the couch tonight," he called out over his shoulder, pouring the tea into the mugs. 

"You don't have to. I wasn't thinking of even sleeping on the couch," Sansa said hesitantly, her eyes fixed on the floorboards. "I just wanted to borrow your charger, that's all."

Robb felt himself becoming slightly angry. "No," he began, pouring the milk. "I don't want to even hear about it," he said, stirring in the sugar. "You came here at the dead of night, alone, looking like hell. You think I can just let you go? I care about you; I'm not an estranged friend, I'm your  _brother._ You're sleeping in my bed tonight," he walked over to where she was standing, and thrust the cup into her hands. 

"Thank you," she said shakily, accepting the tea. "I- I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to," she felt her eyes begin to water, "I didn't mean to be such a nuisance."

"You're not a nuisance," Robb said softly, bringing his hand up to wipe the tear that had fallen down her cheek. "Now," he started cheekily, "it's the dead of night, and I've made us some piping hot tea. Do you want to watch some T.V. while we drink it?"

Her brilliant answering smile melted his heart a little. "That sounds great, Robb." 


	3. Chapter 3

**September, 1 Year Ago**

Sansa gazed upon her University, her heart swelling with pride. This was it. She'd made it. All of those forms that she had to fill out, all of those late nights spent studying... they finally paid off, they finally brought her here, where she wanted to be. Finally, she was independent - she could be who she wanted to be. Get where she wanted to go. This was the last step. 

She closed her eyes and counted to ten, opened them, and took her first steps through the assembly hall entrance, into the welcoming ceremony for all of the first years. 

_Chapter III_

_Suspicion_

**Present**

"So," Robb asked, sipping his tea, "how have you been these past couple of months? I haven't seen you at all." Partly because she still hadn't answered the last text message he sent. 

"I've been good. I've been busy with school... and stuff," Sansa replied, her body starting to relax even though her hands were still gripping the mug tightly. 

"Oh?" he responded, biting back the question that threatened to escape from his mouth. 

"Yes," she said awkwardly, taking a sip herself. "What about you? How have you been?"

Robb could've chosen to be rude and told her that if she wanted to know she could've asked weeks ago, but he chose instead to try and amend the relations between them. "I've been fine. My studies are going well, and for that I'm pleased."

She showered him with a genuine smile. "I'm pleased for you! I know it's not an easy subject, the one you've chosen."

He nodded. "Sansa," he began slowly, as not to alarm her. "If something were wrong... You would tell me, wouldn't you?"

Sansa knew that this was to be expected, as even she knew that showing up in the middle of the night was not normal - but still, she wished that he could respect her privacy. She needed to tread carefully, because... he couldn't know. She didn't want him to know. 

It was embarrassing and shameful, and it made her feel a multitude of things, and Robb simply wouldn't understand. He wouldn't know. 

It was better for Robb, and for her, for him not to know.

"Yes, of course," she lied through her teeth, smiling pleasantly.

He nodded slowly, and didn't press the subject further. Sansa breathed out a sigh of relief. She finished her tea, placed the mug on the coffee table in front of her, and unknowingly drifted off into the realm of the unconscious - unaware of the sharp gaze piercing through her skin. 

Robb waited for a couple of minutes, before he muted the TV; he waited for a couple of more minutes before he got up, stretched, and strode over to Sansa. Slowly, as not to disturb her rest, he encircled her with his arms, easily lifting her up in a princess hold and carried her to his room. He gently laid her down on the bed, his eyes still clouded in thought. 

She was definitely lying to him. It was as obvious as black ink on white paper; she was hiding something, lying by omission. Why else would she come to his apartment so late? She must've been desperate. And it was dangerous; Robb wasn't about to let it go on. But... what could he do? Surely, there must be something he could do to figure out what she was up to; something he could do to try and help her... 

He wracked his brain for ideas, and only managed to come up with one solution; it would not be a nice solution, but Robb knew that it was necessary - and this was a scenario where extreme measured had to be taken. 

His hand reached for her trousers, feeling around the pockets; finding nothing in the front ones, he gently flipped her over. There. The lump in her back-pocket revealed exactly what he was looking for: her phone. His hand slipped into her back-pocket in an attempt to retrieve it - and in the process, he was ashamed to say, he copped a feel. Robb could feel his face burning, even though he knew it wasn't his fault, and he promptly pulled out the iPhone, trying to ignore what her butt felt like. He shook himself out of the moment of insanity, threw the blanket over her body, and quietly retreated from the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

Once he was in the kitchen, he pulled out the charger from drawer he kept it in, quickly plugging it in. While he was waiting for it to restart, he decided to make himself another cup of tea. 

Just as he was putting in the milk, he heard the 'ding' of the iPhone, signalling that it was coming to life again. He decided to forgo the tea for now in lieu of a much greater goal. Grabbing the iPhone that was still plugged into the charger, he easily guessed the pass code - god, he couldn't believe she still hadn't changed it - and began the process of connecting his phone to hers. He connected it through the Family "Find My iPhone" that existed, allowing him to track her wherever she was, as long as she had her phone and as long as it was charged; he muted the settings so she wouldn't know that it was on. Luckily, he didn't think she would check; and by the time she knew that he'd done this, hopefully he'd have gotten to the bottom of whatever she was doing.

He was lucky he made a habit of trying to keep track of everyone's password; without it, he'd have had to hack into her phone, and that would've been a much messier process. This, on the other hand, was much easier. 

He wondered whether he should go through her messages, but decided that that was taking it a step to far; after all, she was entitled to her privacy. Having made a firm decision, he left her phone to charge on the counter, and went to get his tea. 

He took a sip and grimaced; he forgot to put the sugar. He'd do it now.

**September, 1 Year Ago**

He caught her eye from the first time she saw him. 

She met him in her very first class in her very first year; he walked through the door a bit late, much to the distaste of the Professor, but she couldn't help but think that he was a bit cool. His blonde hair seemed to gleam in the autumn light; his green eyes were like emeralds. Meanwhile, she was in awe. 

He walked with confidence to the very last row of the classroom and that was when she lost sight of him. 

But he was engraved in her mind.

**Present**

When Robb woke up, it was fairly late; 9 am, his class had started half an hour ago. He stretched slowly, like a cat, and went to call the Professor, in order to inform him that he would be absent today.

After he had finished his business, he wondered whether he should wake up Sansa - he  _could_ always call her in, too. As her big brother, it wouldn't be strange, he would think. But still, it was best to ask her first.

He quietly stepped into his room, which was still dark as the blinds had been shut. Walking over to Sansa's side, he called her name softly while lightly shaking her shoulder. He didn't want to startle her too much, after all. She'd had a long night.

"Sansa, wake up," he murmured, pushing some of her hair behind her ear. "It's 9 o'clock already. You need to call in and say you're sick."

"Mmph," was his reply, and he resisted chuckling.

"Do you want to sleep in a bit more?"

"Yes," came the half-asleep, rather dazed answer.

Now that he had her consent, he decided to call her in using his phone. After all,  _she_ didn't know that he knew the password to her phone; and that's the way he wanted to keep it.

"Hello? This is the reception speaking," said the pleasant, professional voice. 

"Hello. I'm calling in for Sansa Stark - she's sick."

"Oh, okay. Wait a moment... It's just been registered. Thank you for calling!"

"Thank you."

"I hope your girlfriend feels better," the receptionist said sympathetically, before closing the call. Robb didn't have enough time to correct her, but that didn't matter - although it did strike him a bit odd that she hadn't asked precisely who he was. 

Did Sansa call in sick often?

No, he thought shaking his head. He would have to ponder this later. He now had a method of easily coming to a sound conclusion; he'd wait until then. When he knew precisely what the problem was, he'd help Sansa fix it: this wouldn't do.

Now that school was settled, he opted to catch a few more Zzzs; he'd also had a long night, after all.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter IV_

_Hope and Hopeless_

**Present**

Do you know what it feels like to want to do nothing? To want to be nothing? To want to fall asleep, and never wake up, because - what was the  _point?_ In anything?

Sometimes, it felt like Sansa was drowning in a sea of black, and she saw no escape - why was she still alive? Couldn't she just die already? Couldn't that car hit her and then she'd never have to wake up again and she wouldn't have to deal with this - any of this? She was just so tired. It was tiring to move, it was tiring to breathe, and it was tiring to talk - the only reason she hadn't overdosed on sleeping pills is because she hadn't quite mustered up the courage yet. 

She was so  _tired._

And sometimes she'd feel nothing. Empty. Numb. Like it wasn't quite herself in her own skin, like it was something else - she couldn't recognise her own hands as she looked down at them. She didn't feel anything, it was as if she was a blank piece of paper - and that's the way she liked it. 

Today was one of those days where she wanted nothing more than just to sleep. Eternally.

It was a pity, because when she got like this - and it was a state that she entered with frightening, reoccurring frequency - she couldn't see the future. There was no future. She didn't _want_ to have a future.

The voice in the back of her head was whispering _killmekillmekillme_ and  _pleasepleaseplease_ and  _iwanttodie_ constantly; but the volume at which those thoughts were heard differed every day. Today it was exceptionally loud. Today she felt courageous enough to down a whole bottle of pills, and hope that no one found her until her pulse was long gone.

_Somebody, just kill me. Please._

"Sleeping beauty, you awake?" his voice resonated clearly in the small but airy room; and yet, to Sansa's ears, it sounded like he was talking through water. She despondently turned her face upwards towards the ceiling, choosing not to answer. 

"Hey," the voice come again, this time from a noticeably closer distance. "I see that your eyes are open. Why aren't you talking to me?"

With greater effort than what should've been the case, she turned over to her side and faced Robb. "Hey," she mustered a whisper, "what time is it?"

"Almost 12. I made lunch, in case you were interested."

"Almost 12?!" Sansa would've jumped out of bed had she not been so tired. Instead, she settled on pushing herself out of bed and smoothing out her wrinkled clothes. "I'm sorry for staying so long, I didn't mean to impose, I need to get going - I do have school and all-"

"I called in. You probably don't remember it because you were barely conscious when I asked you whether I could," Robb interrupted, smiling lightly. "Now, if you don't mind, let's go eat. Dinner will get cold."

Dazedly, she turned to follow Rob who had already disappeared from the room. She honestly hadn't meant to stay for so long, and she didn't think that Robb would want her to, either; but maybe this was his way of testing her and trying to get various answers from her. Sansa knew that it was what big brothers did, but she couldn't deal with it. He couldn't know, and the longer she stayed here, the longer she had to put up this pretence of everything being  _fine_ and  _great_ when in reality, it couldn't be further away from the truth. Besides, there was no way he was taking away the one thing that made her feel better: alcohol. Well, that wasn't the  _only_ thing... but that wasn't the point.

She entered the kitchen hesitantly, sitting down on the table gingerly. 

She smelled spaghetti, but there was also a softer, sweeter smell - could that be?

"I went shopping this morning and remembered that lemoncakes are your favourite," Robb showered Sansa with a winning smile. "But no eating desert without finishing your main course!" he jokingly scolded, whipping up the food onto plates.

Sansa eagerly accepted her plate, hungry for the first time since-since- she didn't even know. A long time. Not losing her enthusiasm, she dug in. 

Robb watched her with amusement. "Hungry, huh? What have you been living on? Pot noodles?"

Alcohol, chocolate, and other things, but he didn't need to know that. 

"It's good," she complemented, pulling some hair behind her ear. "I didn't expect you to know how to cook," she muttered, smiling to herself. It wasn't like she couldn't cook. She just didn't have the energy to - he didn't need to know that either.

"Yeah, well. Have you talked to Mom recently?"

She was instantly on edge. Why was he asking that?

"No," she answered truthfully, frowning. "You?"

"I visited awhile back," he looked puzzled, and Sansa could see that he was restraining himself from asking a question on the tip of his tongue. She appreciated that he was trying to respect her privacy.

She put down her bowl with a soft 'clunk'. "Well, that was good. Where are those lemoncakes you promised me?"

Robb laughed. "It's unusual for you to finish your food in 33 seconds. Here," he got up, retrieving the lemoncakes and handing them to her. "Dig in," he said, the amusement rife in his tone. 

"Shut up," she scowled, biting into her cake. 

"You look as angry as a litter of kittens."

"Shut up!"

He went to put their plates away, his laughter resounding across the room.

**Present - 3 Hours Later**

"That was a crap movie," Sansa complained, folding her arms with a huff. "I just wasted two hours of my life, I hope you know," she said, scowling. 

Robb laughed. "C'mon, it wasn't that bad," he replied, switching the credits off. "I've seen worse in my day." 

"You say it as if you were so much older than me," she rolled her eyes. "It was all action! No actual story or plot! I'm not leaving you in charge of the movie next time."

"Next time?" Robb questioned, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. "Are you up for a next time?"

Sansa instantly felt alert, and stiffened in her seat. This couldn't become a regular occurrence, as much as she was enjoying it at the moment- sooner or later, Robb would end up  _knowing,_ and there was no way she'd let him do that. It was best he didn't get too close: he actually cared. And even though it was more than what she deserved, she still wouldn't allow him to interfere with her life. 

"Oh, you know," she mumbled tensely, trying hard to make it sound lighthearted. "Whenever we watch a movie next! We are siblings, we tend to see each other on a frequent basis, you know." 

Robb nodded sagely. "One would think so," he replied vaguely, leaning back onto the couch. "So. You free next week?"

Sansa looked over at him sharply, wondering where he was going with this. She had made an off-hand remark, she didn't actually expect him to make plans based on it! And nor did she want to; it was best that she didn't see much of Robb after today. She'd already got him too involved with her affairs. "No," she began slowly, lowering her gaze to stare at her hands. "I have... stuff to do."

"Okay," Robb nodded, agreeing a bit too easily. "I'll call you at some point to see when you're free. Although, I'm not ready at all to watch your crappy choice of rom-com," he grimaced. 

"Hey!" Sansa said, pretending to be offended. "Rom-coms are good! They make you laugh! They're so much better than what we just watched!" 

He shook his head. 

"So," he began, and the change of tone alerted Sansa to the swift change in topic. "How's school going?" he asked carefully, paying attention to her body language as she recoiled away from him. It was odd; there wasn't any reason which he knew of for her to be so defensive. 

"It's alright," she tried to smile, pulling her hair behind her ear. "You know, school is school, even at Uni. I thought it'd be different," she made a face, "but I was wrong."

"Isn't it different?" his stare was too intense, and it almost made Sansa uncomfortable. It was like he was trying to see through her, trying to examine and discover all of her secrets.

"Well, it is," Sansa admitted grudgingly, shifting in her seat. "But it's mostly a repeat of before: learning stuff you probably don't need, having pointless exams, and stressing a lot. Oh, and the people at school are... as special as always."

"Special, huh?" he accepted, and Sansa relaxed, feeling that the interrogation was over... for now. 

"What about you?" she wondered, smiling. "Any girlfriends?"

Robb snorted. "Yeah, as if anyone has time for that," he sighed. "I swear I've forgotten what girls even look like. The number of girls on my course is not only disgusting, it's downright upsetting."

"How many girls are on your course, then? And like, how many people are in your course?" she enquired, knowing that in couldn't be that bad, surely. 

"We have around 150 people on the course, around 15 of which are girls," Robb said glumly, turning his entire body to face Sansa. "It's depressing."

"Ouch, that is bad," she said sympathetically, and patted his shoulder. "Well, you shouldn't have picked something as geeky as computer science, anyway!"

"It's a good subject!" Robb defended hotly, scowling. "More prospective than something like English Literature, anyway. At best you'd be a journalist, at worse a waitress."

Her eyes flashed. 

"Oh, and what's wrong with being a waitress, exactly?" she demanded to know, pushing him away. 

"Everything!" Robb laughed as Sansa punched him in the arm. "Ouch," he exclaimed, but then grinned. "As if! You're as strong as I was... when I was 12,"

"Why am I still here," Sansa muttered under her breath, and stood up. "I'll get going, then. It's been nice to see you, Robb," and her words were all right, but her tone was absolutely biting. Robb could tell that she wasn't happy. 

"Aaw, c'mere, sis," he hastily amended, also standing up and opening his arms. "Don't be too angry. You know that I kid," but Sansa didn't budge, and crossed her arms instead. Robb wouldn't let her leave without a hug, so he wrapped his arms around her first, instead. At first, Sansa resisted, but then she slowly uncrossed her arms and began to hug him back. 

She remembered that she had yet to thank him. She rose on her tippy toes, and leaned on him in order to whisper in his ear, "Thanks for having me." Her breath was warm and it felt strangely pleasant against his sensitive skin. 

"Always, Sansa. You know, I'm here for you. Whenever you need me," her grip on him tightened, and Sansa hadn't felt this grateful in a very long time. 

"Thanks, Robb," and they stayed like that for a couple more minutes, before Sansa released him and told him that it was time for her to go. Robb nodded, and offered to take her home, or to escort her at least; when his offer was rejected, he didn't insist upon it, knowing that either way, he'd know. 

Sansa was out the door in minutes.

Robb stared after her, shook his head, and told himself he'd get down to the bottom of it sooner, rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of these musings are actually rather personal to me. Sorry if it got a bit depressing.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been there but not there for most of these fics in this community. I decided to help contribute :) Hey someone can finally critique me for a change.


End file.
